About Catherine's Work
Dr. Catherine Nakalembe is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland’s Department of Geographical Sciences and the founder of the Xylem Institute. Her research focuses on GeoAI, the intersection of geospatial science, satellite remote sensing, and Artificial Intelligence (AI), with applications in agriculture, food security, early warning, and disaster assessment. She holds leadership roles in major NASA projects, serving as the Africa Director for NASA Harvest and the Agriculture and Food Security Thematic Lead for NASA SERVIR Applied Sciences. A TED speaker and Fellow, she has received several honors and awards for her work, including the 2022 AL-Sumait Prize for African Developement, 2022 Golden Jubilee Medal (the highest civilian award of Uganda), the 2020 Africa Food Prize (the preeminent award recognizing an outstanding individual or institution that is leading the effort to change the reality of farming in Africa), and a 2019 GEO Individual Excellence Award for her dedication to improving food security in Africa through the enhanced use of Earth observations.